SONY ANNOUNCE THE PMW-400: SHOULDER MOUNTED XDCAM HD 422 CAMCORDER

It has been designed with a host of features that make it a great fit for applications like ENG or live production. The PMW-400 reflects Sonys continued commitment to bringing quality imaging solutions to market, with products that are at the top of their game, said Fabien Pisano, Strategic Marketing Head, Sony Europe. Weve designed the PMW-400 to acquire high quality, clean images especially in low-light environments. Its very ergonomically-balanced, easy to operate and includes features that make it fit seamlessly into various types of productions and workflows. This really opens up new opportunities around cost efficiency and flexible shooting to achieve the desired results.

Higher Picture Quality with HD422 Codec

Capable of MPEG HD422 50Mbps recording, the PMW-400 is unique among the field of 2/3-type camcorders thanks to its noise reduction capabilities and rich selection of formats that it can handle. Its 3 Dimensional Noise Reducer (3DNR) accurately detects and processes images to reduce noise, achieving a Signal-to-Noise (S/N) ratio of 60dB which is outstanding among 2/3-type camcorders. A wide variety of formats are supported by the PMW-400, including MPEG2 HD422@50Mbps, HD420@35Mbps/25Mbps, MPEG IMX@50Mbps, and DVCAM. The PMW-400 will also offer future XAVC support for HD so users can be well-placed to meet the ever-increasing demands for high quality image capture.

Improved Viewfinder

The supplied viewfinder features improved panel resolution of quarter HD 960(H) x 540(V) compared to previous models that had a resolution of VGA 640(H) x 480(V). In addition, contrast and viewing angles are considerably better in the new viewfinder.

Flash Band Compensation via Internal Processing

The PMW-400 incorporates a valuable new feature an internal Flash Band Reducer based on a processing circuit installed inside the camcorder. In addition to current flash band reducing processes via content browser after recording, the camcorder also employs a special algorithm to detect and process flash banding inside the camcorder before recording. This provides greater flexibility in reducing flash banding across different shooting environments.

Operational Flexibility

To enhance convenience and flexibility during program production, the PMW-400 is built with two SDI connections that enable, for example, the director and cameraman to concurrently check content shot via two different monitors.

An optional CBK-CE01 50-pin interface lets the PMW-400 connect to camera adapters for greater creative possibilities through multi-camera operation. By connecting to the CA-FB70 optical fibre or CA-TX70 digital triax camera adapter, the PMW-400 can be used as a studio camera in live production and transmit signals over long distances while maintaining high picture quality.

R&D Prototype: Wireless Adapter for 3G/4G/LTE and Wi-Fi Connections

For easy transmission by network and efficient on-site operation using Wi-Fi, a wireless adapter is under development. The adapter is directly connectable to the PMW-400 to enable proxy files generated on the microSD to be transmitted via 3G/4G/LTE/Wi-Fi. Due to this easy transmission of proxy files from the shooting location to a broadcast station via network connections, ENG workflows can be accelerated tremendously. Using Wi-Fi transmission, the adapter is also workable with the mobile application installed on devices such as tablet PCs and smartphones. Additionally, to drastically improve on-site operation, a range of features currently being planned include file browsing management, proxy file preview, stream viewing for camera signal, file transfer of proxy files and high-resolution files as well as metadata input and remote camera control.

The PMW-400 will be on display at Sonys booth #C11001 at the 2013 NAB Show in Las Vegas Convention Center, Central Hall, C-5, and will be available from August 2013 onwards.